Our Gemara (end of Amud Aleph to beginning of Amud Beis) relates a philosophical ethical debate between Rabbi Chanina and Rabbi Yonasan:
“Rabbi Chanina and Rabbi Yonasan were once walking along the road when they came to two paths: one led to a place of idol worship, the other to a brothel.
One said: Let us go by the path of the idol worship, as that inclination has been slaughtered.
The other said: Let us go by the path of the brothel and overpower our inclination—and thereby receive reward.”
While this is already a provocative conversation, let us focus on the point where one sage says they should go by the brothel in order to overcome temptation and thereby earn reward.
This invites a classic question: Why is the motivation of reward even acceptable? Doesn’t Mishna Avos (1:3) teach us:
“Do not be like servants who serve the master for the sake of reward…”
Shouldn’t their focus be on what God wants, not what we get?
Ben Yehoyada addresses this by explaining that the “reward” here is not a crude transactional payoff, but the spiritual benefit and joy of serving Hashem—the reward is intrinsic to the mitzvah, not external to it. It is the connection to Hashem, the elevation of the soul, and the refinement of character.
The Chida (in Maris Ayin) offers another answer: While it’s inappropriate to seek reward for basic mitzvah obligations, it is permissible to anticipate reward for going above and beyond—such as beautifying a mitzvah or, in this case, voluntarily facing a more difficult nisayon.
I believe these are not just two answers to the same question, but two deeper theological worldviews. According to the Chida, the issue is one of respect. A servant should not serve out of expectation, but once a person enters into a realm of voluntary service, expecting reward is not improper. Ben Yehoyada, on the other hand, rejects the entire reward metaphor in this context. He sees the very framing of mitzvos as rewardable service as a potential corruption. In his view, mitzvos are for our benefit—they develop us and bring us close to God. That is the reward.
The Chidah, a mystic and sage, could not have missed the Ben Yehoyada’s concerns. We can offer in his defense that since Of course, the Torah speaks in human language and allows for the metaphor of both the King-servant and Father-child paradigms for human motivation and focus, the idea of reward is not problematic. A great sage understands that God doesn’t have body parts nor emotions in a human sense (as per Rambam Yesode HaTorah chapter one), but he still utilizes these metaphors to arouse the human emotions in prayer, because humans are incapable of worshipping in an utterly abstract manher. So too the great sage can use ideas of reward judiciously in the framework of master servant, to arouse and motivate. Chidah would argue that Mishna Avos requires one to reign in the imagery of reward so it is not transactional or crass. However, as a bonus for non-obligatory acts, it is acceptable to use such imagery in one’s mind to enhance motivation.
Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation
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Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, LCSW-R, LMFT, DHL is a psychotherapist who works with high conflict couples and families. He can be reached via email at simchafeuerman@gmail.com